Sarah Combs, Executive Director & CEO, University Area CDC (Community Development Corporation)

In an interview with Invest:, Sarah Combs, executive director and CEO of the University Area CDC, discussed its investments in community support services and creative placemaking. She highlighted the necessity of being prepared for climate disasters, and the launch of its affordable housing units for workforce development. 

What have been some key achievements and milestones for the University Area CDC over the last 12 to 18 months? 

Over the last 12 to 18 months, one of the biggest developments we have been working on is The Campus at Harvest Hope. This is a four-phase approach, and we are in phase two, which involves rehabbing the warehouse on the property. We have recently moved into securing naming rights for the warehouse, and we are preparing to start construction, which is wonderful. 

For some background on The Campus, we initially asked for the community’s input regarding our next big development. After acquiring four parcels of land across the street from the Harvest Hope Park, which we had built, the community expressed a strong desire to shift how we approached development, focusing more intentionally on the community’s strengths rather than the challenges it has often been associated with. Typically, this community has been highlighted for its challenges — high crime, poverty, and other concerns — so they urged us to adopt a strength-based approach to community development. 

The Campus at Harvest Hope will be a driving force for change in the community for years to come. It will provide residents with expanded services, as well as sustain our commitment to anchor institutions in the area. Components of The Campus will include economic & small business development, health & wellness opportunities, critical housing needs and more. Additionally, we will emphasize the arts by hosting our Uptown Artists Collective, which has been a major initiative for us. This space will feature a gallery and offer creative placemaking opportunities for our artists to share their narratives in new ways. 

We believe this will showcase how our artists serve as economic drivers for the community, highlighting the role of art and creative placemaking. We are very excited to be moving forward with the second phase of the warehouse, and we hope to cut the ribbon within 2025. 

What are some initiatives to address workforce development, and how have they evolved over the past year? 

Going back to The Campus here, phase three of the project involves building and developing our Economic Development Center. This center is set to become a significant driver for our area, taking a holistic approach that also keeps the business community’s needs in mind. The Economic Development Center will prioritize small businesses, creating incubation opportunities through partnerships with the surrounding anchor institutions. 

Our approach is focused on nurturing local talent and supporting them in scaling their businesses while keeping them rooted in the community. The future Economic Development Center will also feature a healthcare clinic, a coffee shop, and other small businesses. We believe it is critical to double down on workforce investment, especially within our local talent pool. Without this focus, we risk losing talent, and this has already impacted our business community, particularly with rising housing costs forcing people to relocate. We aim to counter this by creating opportunities for people to live, work, stay, and play in the area. 

Are there any new initiatives, studies, or programs furthering affordable housing projects in the pipeline? 

Yes, we are thrilled to be breaking ground soon on our University Townhomes project. The vision for this development is to encourage other developers to invest in our community by showing them that it is feasible to build housing for our workforce population. I have heard from various developers that they often hesitate due to cost concerns, but University Townhomes is set to prove it can be done. 

We are building three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath townhomes that will cover approximately 1,540 square feet. These homes are designed with affordability in mind, with the purchase price set at around $270,000. This price point is attainable for our community, and we want it to serve people from critical service sectors, such as police officers and teachers, who lack local affordable housing options. 

Our initial phase will include the first 12 townhomes, but we have acquired enough land to potentially build 30 units. The idea is to continue building and hopefully inspire additional developers to join us in creating more attainable housing for our workforce population. 

How is the economic climate, with inflation and higher interest rates, impacting community needs? 

The programs we implemented in the past, the traditional models we relied on, are not working anymore given the way Tampa Bay is evolving and growing. We need to be very intentional about creating new models and devising what I like to call “creative capital stacks” that will allow us to produce the types of developments that meet the needs of our target population. 

We are also pushing our partners to think outside the box. How can we be innovative with our community development? How can we build these communities with intention? While we are beginning to see some positive shifts, the challenge remains. The cost of living is not decreasing, and wages are not rising fast enough to close the gap. It is one of the biggest issues we face as people are finding it increasingly unaffordable to live here. 

Because of this, we are at risk of losing our story, the generational history of the people of Tampa. We need to ask ourselves what we want this community to be. My hope is that we decide to retain our talent, keep our families here, and do it in a way that is equitable, sustainable, and healthy. 

What are some of the opportunities you see in the area, and how do you plan to leverage these opportunities? 

We have a tremendous opportunity in the University Area. When you look around, there are so many developments happening. The University of South Florida (USF), which is only a few miles from where we are, has several major redevelopments underway. Across from USF, we have the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), and we also have the new USF stadium and The Claw redevelopment project. Those three alone are enormous opportunities. 

We can leverage these projects to create space and draw new talent from our community, connecting them to emerging opportunities. We can build pathways for small businesses in a way that uplifts the whole community. USF has been instrumental in leading this, creating a narrative that brings partners together to determine focus areas and how to make meaningful progress. 

But we need to tackle all aspects of community building, such as transportation, housing, and safety. These are all essential. If we can break out of working in our own silos and start collaborating, I believe we have a real chance of achieving something transformational in the University Area, especially with USF being so close in proximity. 

What are your top priorities for the next few years? 

Sustainability and infrastructure are top of mind for us. Hurricane Milton showed us how crucial infrastructure is. I have spent five years working on infrastructure improvements in this community, and the recent weather events really emphasized how critical this issue is. Our lack of robust infrastructure is putting our residents at risk, and we need to build a resilience plan that protects us from future storms. 

We must have a coordinated strategy that goes beyond reacting to events as they happen. We need preventive measures in place to ensure flooding does not reach the catastrophic levels we saw with Milton. For example, there was six feet of water for days in many places, so those areas were effectively a river. We are focused on creating a resilience plan that involves everyone in the community. The plan needs to work from the ground up rather than being imposed from the top down. 

It is vital that we prepare for these events. Climate disasters like these are only becoming more frequent, and we cannot just hope to be fine. We need to take active steps to protect lives and livelihoods.